Explosive composition



Patented Mar. 14, 1933 r I v V I} '7 I l stares Parent w re: I

ROBERT SCHLESS, or EMr'on UM, PENNSYLVANIA, Assre oR, T PENNSYLVANIAPOWDER COMPANY, OF EMIPORIUM; PENNSYLV IA A CORPORATION OF ZPENNSYLVANIA V V Y EXPLOSIVE COMPOSITION f No Drawing. Application filed.0ctober29, 1930. Serial No. 492,092. 7

This invention relates to explosives, and straw, and especiallywhen incomminuted I more particularly to explosive compositions or indisintegrated condition. i containing high explosives of the nitro-Straw and particularly wheat straw is be- P glycerin type. v ingutilized today for producing an insulat- In the low density type ofexplosives, used ing board product, and in themanufacture of 55 to-aconsiderable extent particularly in coal such board material, andparticularly after mining and quarrying operations, various trimming,there remain cuttings'or saw dust types of absorbent carbonaceousmaterials representing waste material; Such insulating have beenemployed.- But such explosives board-manufactured from wheat straw isofhave been found as a general rule to be less fered in the market underthe name of Inso sensitive to propagation than other types of board, andthis particular material ishereinexplosives, especially so upon storage.The f er referred to as Inso' board sawdustreason for this lack-ofsensitivity appears to The cereal straw, and particularly. wheat Vreside in the factthat the various Carstraw and also more especially theInso V bonace'ous materials that have been suggested aICl awdust havebeen found to be ad-fi? in the prior art as fillers furnishing thedevdntegeously useful i explosives as the ea sired bulk, are at thesametime very efficient bonaceous absorbent materials, since. theyabsorbent materials. Their absorptive power' h lm e p ien the q ir m nof far exceeds the capacity necessary'to hold i the liguld exploslveingredients sufiicient for absorption the comparatively low amounts ofpreetleal p p i GXPIOSiVBS f t is-type, nitroglycerin contained in thelow "density and addition y" serve to upp y the 00m; types ofexplogivegAS a, result, of 511 1131); bLlStlblematerial in the process Of the 6X-b t p rgperties the it l ri th treniely rapid combustion calledexplosion. normally liquid high explosive, is held in the N0 s p ion 0 GC a iOII Of sucllabsorbed 3311s .01 the, carbonaceous material toollqlllds OOCHISBVGDV after PI'OlOIlged. storage. 79 tenaciously, andthis aifects the sensitiveness An further the @Qnlmimlted cereal strawacts of the explosives. And this is particularly P Y retalnlng h posiion a true on storage of such explosives, since upon desllied B eSS olong periods of time, storage they become rather difficult to comlerably longer than h t POSSQSSed by plet-ely detonate, or to propagateth the prlor art types of absorbents utilized in 39 1 1 f t id t t idthis class of exploslves. Further, the density Among the objects of thepresent invention f Cereal Straw is Such a ity ilds eX- is theproduction ofexplosives, particularly P 0f a desirable high cartridgecount. of the high explosive or nitroglycerin type, T11PPQIQH1StlfEIWfin sa i factory physical and within the class of low densityexplosives, Q Q l l l I10 7 l j lC treatment which explosives retaintheir sensitivity to a for e p ym ntm he manufacture of exdesir d d gr vupon t a plosive compositions. ltishould, ofcourse, 7 Other and furtherobjects and advantages be commimlted, disintegrated, particuleted A ofthis invention will appear from the more a p d rto. reduce it to thesize Of detailed description set forth below, it bein particle desiredfor this use. In-view of the understood however that this more detailedl rge quantities of .Inso board sawdust? and description is given by wayof illu tration other material of this character which is only, and notby way of limitation, ince readily available on themarket, such marvarious changes may be made in that r terial comprises a very economicalingredient detailed description by those skilled in the art in themanufacture of explosives. While such without departing from the scopeand spirit cereal straws require no particular further 7 of theinvention herein described and claimed. treatment for their use inexplosive compost In carrying out the present invention, there tions,they'may be given a treatment with is used as the carbonaceous absorbentingredivarious organic or inorganiccompounds, such 50 ent, a cerealstraw, and particularly a wheat as the compounds employed in explosivecompositions themselves, for example, sodium nitrate, ammonium nitrate,etc., before being utilized in the preparation of the explosivecompositions.

While nitroglycerin is particularly referred to above in illustratingthe types of explosives with which the present invention is concerned,other known substitutes and equivalents of the nitroglycerin may beemployed in lieu thereof, or in combination therewith, such as thenitrated sugar-glycerin solutions, nitrated mixtures of glycerin andpolymerized glycerin, glycol, and similar compositions.

In the examples given below illustrating the invention, the substituteor equivalent materials referred to above, or other known substitute orequivalent materials may be used in lieu ofthose specified in theparticularcompositions set forth. In addition, in preparing particulartypes of explosives, some of the stated ingredients may be omitted inaccordance with well-recognized practice, or other additionalingredients may be in cluded. These matters are within the skill ofthose in the art.

The following examples illustrate compositions embodying the presentinvention.

I Percent Nitroglycorin a; 15 Inso board sawdust-i"; 18 Sodium nitratel5 Ammonium"nitrate 51 Chalk '1 II Per cent Nitroglycerin 12 Inso boardsawdust 11 Sodium nitrate 10 Ammonium nitrate 66 Chalk 1 III PercentNitroglycerin l0 Inso board sawdustl1 Ammonium nitrate 76 Chalk 1 Salt(common) 2 The first composition given above yields an explosive havinga cartridge count of 195- 205, l by 8 cartridges per 50 pounds ofexplosive, Example II a cartridge count of 180-185, and Example III acartridge count of about 160. i

As illustrated in the examples given above, the proportions of theseveral ingredients may be varied, and also as noted in the discussionsgiven prior to the examples, some of the ingredients such as the sodiumnitrate may be omitted from the composition, or this and otheringredients may be substituted by the recognized equivalents in the art.

plosive ingredient and a comminuted cereal straw. g

2. A nitroglycerin type explosive containing a comminuted cereal strawas the absorbent. I

3. A dope for dynamite containing an explosive ingredient and acomminuted Wheat straw.

4. A dope for dynamite containing a com minuted wheat straw as theabsorbent.

5. An explosive composition containing a normally liquid explosive,ammonium nitrate and a comminuted cereal straw.

6. An explosive composition containing a normally liquid explosive,ammonium nitrate and comminuted wheat straw.

7. An explosive composition containing nitroglycerin, ammonium nitrate,sodium nitrate, and a comminuted cereal straw.

8. An explosive composition containing nitroglycerin, ammonium nitrate,sodium nitrate, and comminuted wheat straw.

9. A dope for dynamite containing an explosive ingredient and Inso boardsawdust.

10. A nitroglycerin type explosive containing Inso board sawdust.

11. An explosive composition containing nitroglycerin, ammonium nitrate,and Inso board sawdust.

12. An explosive composition containing nitroglycerin, ammonium nitrate,sodium nitrate, andInso board sawdust.

13. A composition for use in a dope for dynamite comprising a comminutedcereal straw carrying an absorbed explosives ingredient.

14. A composition for use in a dope for dynamite comprising Inso boardsawdust carryingan absorbed explosives ingredient.

ROBERT SCHLESS.

